A birthday affair

I’ve performed at a handful of private parties before – weddings, corporate events, New Year countdowns – but always with a band and most of the time singing covers.

Now, I can proudly say I’ve done it solo.

It started after one of The Glad Stones’ Starbucks shows last month. An audience member approached us to perform at her birthday party which was to be in a few week’s time. Since Jaye wasn’t going to be in town, I told her TGS wouldn’t be able to do it, but if she didn’t mind I’d be happy to sing a few of my songs for her. I didn’t expect her to say yes, but she did 🙂

The party was at a condo near Bukit Timah, at an open-air function area which had a pavilion and barbecue pit. It was a pretty cool way to celebrate a birthday – having great friends who’d plan everything for you, a friend who’s a chef to whip up a barbecue fiesta, and another one to emcee at the party.

For gigs like these, busking gear always comes in handy. The Stagg battery-powered amps, which TGS used for busking and for our entire Starbucks tour, do reasonably well in outdoor performances, but the vocals sometimes get a little distorted at loud volumes.

I played a 45-minute set with a mix of my originals and a few covers. It felt good connecting with people who don’t already know you, and observing how they react to your music. While it’s natural that people will continue with their conversations while you perform, especially in a bar, I was heartened to see a handful of guests just sitting, watching and listening. Seeing that made my evening.